In fairness to the chairman, Sam Hammam, he's spent a lot of money on the side - probably more than any other side in the division has spent. Obviously everyone connected with the club will be delighted to see them playing at a higher level. Hammam's very ambitious but not everyone agrees with the ideas he's got for Welsh football.
It's very difficult to convince Swansea and Wrexham supporters that they should support Cardiff City. The die-hards of those clubs will never go along with that. You've got to him credit for trying, but I think Cardiff can hold a
place in the First Division or even the Premiership without the support of the other Welsh clubs. Manager Lennie Lawrence now has to decide which players are going to be good enough to play at a higher level.
It can be a pretty unsatisfactory job getting rid of players that have done so well for the club. You've got to have a ruthless streak in you when it comes to moving players around. But I think he's done a terrific job this season. I was amazed to see the criticism he was receiving. He's a very experienced manager and the Cardiff supporters should be a little bit more respectful and let him
get on with the job next season.
There was a lot of euphoria after the play-off win, and people were getting excited about what the future holds for Cardiff. It's easy to get carried away and talk about reaching the Premiership, but the First Division is now a very strong league. Just looking at the three clubs that have come down, certainly West Ham and Sunderland will be looking to go straight back to the Premiership. It's not going to be as easy as some people might think for the
Bluebirds next season.
For his views on Wales, Wrexham and Swansea
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_of_wales/2954428.stm